Academic Travel Seminars

Leading an Academic Travel Seminar is an excellent opportunity to internationalize your curriculum and allow students to explore a specific topic in a new cultural context.

Program proposals are welcomed in the spring semester of the year prior to proposed travel. When the proposal period has opened, the Center for International Education & Study Away (CIESA) will notify CAS and SBS leadership, who will then send their faculty a call for proposals.

Though not required for submission, please keep a budget in mind when completing your program proposal by using the budget proposal template [XLS].

Please review the Travel Seminar FAQs for more information, and contact us with any questions.

Academic Travel Seminar FAQs

At what times of the year does Suffolk typically run Academic Travel Seminars?

Typically, Academic Travel Seminars run in the spring, either at the beginning of January, over spring break, or at the end of the semester. If planned for the end of the semester, travel seminars must fall within academic period regulations and cannot interfere with final exams. Summer travel seminars are possible, but there are financial aid considerations.

What if I don’t have any contacts in-country where I want to travel with students?

It is not necessary to have contacts in-country prior to proposal. CIESA and Suffolk work with a wide range of domestic and study abroad partners around the world who can put together a comprehensive program proposal for us. If you have ideas and suggestions, they will take those into consideration when building an itinerary.

Do I need a program co-leader?

It’s best practice to have two leaders on each program. Having a secondary leader allows a faculty member who hasn’t led a program yet to gain experience before becoming the primary leader on their own program. You will always have logistical support from your program partner on the ground.

How are Academic Travel Seminars financed?

The short answer is that all of the costs to run the Travel Seminar, including all faculty costs, are financed by the student participants. When you work with CIESA to build the program budget, we’ll see all of the costs and calculate how much each participant will need to pay to cover all of the costs. The students will be charged a program fee in addition to their regular tuition, and the revenue from the program fee will be routed to the School or Department responsible for paying the program invoices. In the Sawyer School of Business invoices are paid from the Dean’s budget, and in the College of Arts & Sciences invoices are paid from the budget of the department running the Travel Seminar.

How do I prepare a program budget?

CIESA will provide you with a budget proposal template [XLS] that includes the various items that need to be factored into the overall cost, such as housing, flights, provider fees, etc. and will assist you through the process.

Who approves my proposal?

The proposal will need to be approved by both your department chair and Dean’s Office. Once approved, CIESA will review (in consultation with Risk Management, if necessary) and work with the faculty leaders to clarify and finalize program details.

If my travel seminar is approved, what are the next steps?

Once your proposal is approved, we’ll send your completed Request for Proposals Template to potential in-country partners. They will offer sample itineraries and budgets based on your syllabus and proposal. You will work with CIESA to determine the best provider for your program. Once a partner is selected, you’ll be able to finalize your budget, working with the CIESA program managers.

CIESA will open student applications to programs at the start of the fall semester with a deadline of October 15. After the deadline, we will work with students to commit to their chosen program and confirm numbers with our partners. By the end of November, we should know if the program has enough students enrolled to run.

Who would I work with to plan the program?

There are three pillars of an Academic Travel Seminar:

• academics
• culture
• logistics

You will guide the academic piece of the program, building the syllabus and course outcomes. CIESA and the in-country partner will work with you to build the cultural pieces and organize program logistics. If you have ideas, suggestions, or requirements, our partners can typically accommodate these, and will work to ensure that the logistics support the academic and cultural pieces.

Who would be my in-country contact if there is an emergency during the program?

You will always have an in-country contact through your program partner who will be available 24/7 during an emergency. From Suffolk’s side, you can reach out through the Crisis 24 app to get in touch with the Emergency Response Team.

Who is in charge of recruitment?

CIESA will support recruitment, but faculty leaders are the primary point of contact for recruiting. We will build an online program brochure for each program, and we can support you with marketing materials, but program-specific info sessions and meetings are the responsibility of the faculty leaders.

Who do I work with on my syllabus for my course international component?

You will submit your syllabus as part of the program proposal, and as you build the academic requirements, you should follow the requirements outlined by the Registrar for contact hours. Your syllabus will also need to be approved by your department chair and dean prior to submitting the full proposal.

Do I get paid to lead a program?

You will be paid to teach the course and all necessary travel expenses will be covered. Remember, all of your costs are covered by student fees, so we work hard to keep costs low.

Are there scholarships available for students for Academic Travel Seminars?

Yes! We work hard to ensure that programs are affordable, but we have also identified several Study Abroad scholarships, both internal and external, for which our students can apply. Talk with Study Abroad’s program managers if you have any questions.